Outpost Coffee: Kenya, Karie, Rutuma Farmers’ Cooperative Society, Washed

Karie was established at 1963 under Mathira Farmers’ Cooperative Society (FCS) and which later was merged into Rutuma FCS. The Rutuma FCS Cooperative Society was established in 1995 after the split of the Mathira FCS, which itself had 11 wet mills.

The various societies joining together already had existing community wet mills, which is how the society currently operates seven wet mills – namely, Ruthagati, Karie, Marua, Ngandu, Githima, Kianjogu and Ndurutu – and boasts an overall annual production of around 330 tonnes of green coffee annually.

Location

The factory is located near the town of Karatina, Kirimukuya location,Thaithi sublocation in Nyeri County. Karie has 800 registered members that actively deliver coffee in any given year. Amongst the members are promoter farmers who are trained to teach small scale farmer members Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS).

This extension service has an immediately positive impact on coffee quality from the mill, as farmers emerge from training with a better understanding of the impact of fertilisation, pruning and quality-driven harvest techniques on the price that their coffee receives at auction and with direct buyers.